


coming home with you

by littlebluewhalen



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Light-Hearted, Oneshot, Post-Canon, aint nothing heterosexual about this, baby youre the mentally illest, dw it doesn't get too serious, galolio, itll be okay because they have each other, mentions of Ignis, mentions of aina, mentions of meis and gueira, my boys are mentally ill, working through trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:14:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28251474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlebluewhalen/pseuds/littlebluewhalen
Summary: It's a storm of emotion to work through your shared trauma (and some that's completely your own, too). The calm before it is often unappreciated.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45





	coming home with you

**Author's Note:**

> this is just a little one-shot of galo and lio going home after the almost end of the world.

Lio stepped into the apartment, mostly cautiously, a bit curiously. His white-green hair was frazzled all around his face, framing the dark bruises on his pale face perfectly, accentuating the dark bags under his alert eyes. Said eyes slid over the room in a meticulous way, as if there would be a trap waiting for him, as if this entire thing was a trap to capture him and imprison for being a domestic terrorist. 

Galo clapped a hand onto Lio’s shoulder not unkindly, but as a reassuring thing, and pushed lightly, to get the smaller man through the threshold of his apartment. The larger man was in a similar state of disarray; large scratches and deep cuts littered his body, and dark purple-blue bruises and red burn tissue marred the expanse of his chest, his back, his arms…  
Lio’s electrifying eyes snapped to his companion’s, whose looked so, so tired, and Lio looked back towards the apartment, moving in at Galo’s silent request. As Galo shut and locked the door, Lio surveyed him; he looked impossibly tired, and his vibrant blue hair was frayed and uneven. 

The past two nights hadn’t been fun; as soon as Kray was taken care of and the Promare had left Earth, Galo and Lio had both been taken back to the Burning Rescue base (after they helped release the rest of the Burnish from the capsules, of course – Lio may have no longer had his flame, but he’d be damned before he left his people, and Galo would be damned if he left Lio), where the two of them crashed for days, despite Lio’s hesitance. He’d only been able to feel some kind of comfort when Gueira and Meis joined him – the three of them sleeping in a defense formation, and Galo feeling like an outsider. 

As soon as the four woke after hours and hours of fitful sleep, Aina forced them to shower and eat, and from there it was paperwork, court exemptions, headcounts, and funeral preparations. Lio worked tirelessly for the entire time he and Galo were kept at the base with Gueira and Meis by his side, helping where they could and running errands he couldn’t get to. Everyone at the base helped get him through the legal documents and some language he couldn’t understand, that he never had the resources to understand. He, Gueira and Meis were scrubbed from the records as terrorists – a form of reparations, Lio surmised. But there was work to be done for the Burnish that were holed up in holding facilities for pre-Parnassus crimes, for the settlements of Burnish that still existed, for every person that was wronged by the general populace, by the government. 

Galo, on the other hand, was in and out of interview after interview about Kray, talking to police and government officials, being forced to trudge up and repeat the trauma he’d endured only a day and a half earlier. After every conversation, he’d slump more and more, and his eyes would gloss over. He still offered to help Lio when he could, although most of the legal jargon went over his head; he did make sure Lio ate in between stacks of paper and phone calls, and Lio always made Galo eat with him.

The two of them had only left the base when Ignis kicked them out, forcing the two of them back to Lio’s apartment to actually get some rest, and to process everything that happened. He halted any official that approached the base, explaining that the two were on leave, and the world could wait a bit longer to get it resolved. The city needed massive repairs to be done; it wasn’t going anywhere, and neither were they.

Gueira and Meis forced their leader to go with Galo, because they could see the fatigue painted clearly in his gaunt face and lifeless eyes. They were helping set up housing for the freed Burnish who were currently being housed in hotels and homeless shelters; more reparations. Gueira and Meis had a temporary home already, and though they’d loved to have taken the Boss in, they both knew he would only continue to work if he was so close to the Burnish – or, ex-Burnish, as it were. 

And so, Lio found himself in an entirely unfamiliar situation, walking on unfamiliar floor with eyes and legs like a newborn deer. He knew he wasn’t being tried as a terrorist, but what if it was all a lie? What if Galo was a lie? What if-

“What do you want to eat, Lio?” Galo asked softly, exhaustion seeping into his voice, his words being weighed upon heavily. Lio blinked back into reality and his eyes trailed after the man ahead of him.  
Lio felt mild guilt rock his non-Promare core at doubting Galo; Galo had taken a lot of beatings – physically and emotionally – to be here, with him, right now. He helped Lio save the Burnish – and the world – for nothing in return, thanklessly. He wasn’t a lie; he, too, was a pawn used by Kray. His eyes said everything, as did the soon-to-be scars on every surface of his large frame. Lio’s eyes drifted to Galo’s hair; a lot of it had gotten singed, so Aina had cut parts of it off. It was clear she tried to style it, but, after all, she wasn’t a hair stylist. 

“Lio?” Galo’s questioning voice came from a distance, and Lio realized he’d been left alone in the living room. Lio followed the source of Galo’s voice, and found the man standing in the kitchen, leant up against the counter, slouching. 

“Do you want to go to sleep?” Lio asked, an eyebrow raised. Galo shook his head.

“Wouldn’t be able to, anyway. Might as well cook us something to eat.” He responded, pushing off of the counter, “You have any dietary restrictions or anything like that?” Galo asked, opening a cabinet. 

“No. I’ll eat anything. Can I… do something?” He asked uncertainly, looking around the apartment. Galo hummed in thought for a moment. 

“Not really. It’ll be quick. Why don’t you take a look around the apartment? Nothing’s off-limits, but you’ll probably want to scope out your territory, or whatever wild animals do.” Galo jabbed half-heartedly at him, trying to do anything to ease the tension. Lio allowed an amused huff to leave him, and instead of doing what Galo suggested, walked over to the fridge, and pulled out two water bottles.

“When was the last time you drank water?” Lio asked, setting the water bottles on the counter next to Galo as the man pulled a box of pasta out of the cabinet. Galo turned his head slightly and raised his eyebrows. 

“Me? What about you? Drink one of them, and then we can work on another.” Galo replied, grabbing a water bottle and opening it, chugging the water down. A ghost of a smile flit onto Lio’s face; somehow, out of all the work he’d been doing the past few days, that felt like the most important.

“Go look at the apartment, weirdo. I saw how you were when we first got in.” Galo said, nudging Lio jokingly, drinking more of his water. Lio rolled his eyes and did as he was told.   
Lio softly padded around the apartment, feeling out of place. The walls were a light pale yellow, and it was a modest place; the front door opened to the living room, which was longer than it was wide, and at the back of it was the kitchen. Branched from the kitchen to the left was the door to Galo’s room, and the bathroom was in Galo’s room. 

Galo’s apartment was on the third floor, so there were windows in the kitchen and in Galo’s bedroom, Lio found. There was a large window next to the door of Galo’s room; the fire escape, Lio realized. It was a small, but cozy place; the carpet in the living room was soft and the couch had definitely been broken in. 

The living room was quaint, Lio thought, and he was glad. He found a sense of peace with the seemingly familiar atmosphere the apartment brought; it was very Galo, if you knew him well enough.   
The thought made Lio pause; did he know Galo well enough? He really had only known the man for almost two weeks; even though they had been connected in one of the most intimate ways, he wasn’t sure if that constituted “knowing” someone. Were they even friends? The thought swirled in his mind and brought a host of dark clouds with it. Lio quickly unscrewed the cap to his water and drank it, the cold sensation in his throat shocking him out of his thoughts. He shivered; the Promare had left a gaping, empty hole in his chest, in his being that he hadn’t even tried to fill yet. How could he?

Back to the living room; Lio looked around as he stood, unsure of what to do with himself. The living room was lightly furnished; it had a couch on the left, along with two endtables on either side of it, and a coffee table in front of it. On the right side of the room, there were hooks on the wall for coats, a TV stand with a TV on it, and a bookshelf on its left, with various trinkets; Lio winced when he noticed a lot of them were either gifts from the Burning Rescue, medals, photos of Galo and his friends…. As well as photos with Kray, and gifts from the man himself. 

Lio surged forward into the kitchen, tearing his eyes from the display. Galo was mixing something in a pot on the stove and the smaller man stepped forward to look around his shoulder and see, lightly putting his hand on his arm so as to not startle him. The man seemed to be lost in his thoughts, after all.

“I’m making spaghetti.” Galo responded, smiling lightly at the person beside him. Lio looked at him, about to make some witty retort, but the absolute fondness in Galo’s eyes shocked him into silence, and he quickly looked back into the pot. 

“… I can’t remember the last time I had spaghetti.” Lio admitted quietly, his hand not moving from Galo’s arm. 

“Well, that’s alright. I’m sure you’ve never had it as good as mine is.” Galo quipped. Lio huffed a breath. 

“Are you insulting my mother’s cooking?” He asked, mockingly mad, tightening his grip on Galo’s arm ever-so-slightly. Galo’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, and before he could apologize, Lio laughed.

“I’m joking, Galo. I’m excited for your spaghetti.” Lio said, his voice deep and comforting and calming. Lio saw Galo’s body sag in relief and noticed some of the tension leave his body. 

“Damn man, don’t do that! I still really… well.. I don’t really…” Galo frowned then, adding some spices to the pot.

“What?” Lio asked, finally releasing his hold on Galo, and leaning his arms on the counter next to him, looking up at Galo. He didn’t miss the way Galo’s eyes flicked from his arm to Lio.

“I just… well, I mean. I know we’re buds now, ya know? But I don’t know what we can and can’t talk about.” Galo responded, flicking off the burner on the stove, and moving around Lio to get bowls and cutlery down. Lio blinked. 

“Well, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been thinking the same thing.” Lio said honestly. He watched as the man in front of him set bowls down on either side of the small kitchen table, with forks and napkins. Galo then grabbed the pot off the stove and served the spaghetti in each bowl, nodding his head to tell Lio to sit. Lio grabbed the water bottles and put them next to their respective bowls. 

“Sorry there’s no bread, I didn’t feel like making it tonight. Next time, though, it’ll be a full Italian dinner.” He replied, before sitting down himself. Lio said nothing and took a bite, he’s eyes widening with the flavor on his tongue. He chewed the noodles thoughtfully, savoring the taste before swallowing his bite. His eyes roved over and he met Galo’s, who was staring at him. Lio dabbed his mouth with his napkin.

“By the way,” Lio started, his voice unsure, “You can… nothing’s off limits… because it’s you.” He choked the words out, and they burned in his esophagus (nothing like the Promare – it was hot and itchy and he couldn’t control it), his embarrassment about being open with the man before him stifling him. He snatched his water bottle, drinking it just to do something, to ease the uncomfortable tightness of his throat. His eyes snapped back to the kitchen table as he drank; it was patchwork yellowed wood, with scratches all over the top, and a wobbly leg. 

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.” Galo replied suddenly, so calmly, so casually. Lio’s eyes snapped back up to his. Galo looked away then, staring out the window – but was he really? – as he ate his spaghetti. Lio said nothing, and only continued to eat. 

“I feel… I don’t know how to put this,” Galo frowned then, “we were connected; well, it feels like we still are, to me. But in Lio de Galon, or Galo de Lion, whatever – I know we… well, I could feel what you felt, what the Promare felt – and it was like I had lived your life. I know it was the synchronization of the mech, but it still… you know pretty much everything about me, Lio. And I mean, you were there for one of worst events in my life. You saw it happen in real-time. I don’t think there’s anything I could keep from you, even if I wanted to, which I don’t.” Galo finished, striking blue eyes finding dulled pink. Lio’s eyes widened, and he held Galo’s gaze, spaghetti hovering in the air. 

“I… I still feel it, too. I… there are some things you still don’t know about me. And we can’t read each other as well anymore. But.. if we’re… friends, you can ask me anything. I can’t guarantee I’ll answer, but… I want to be your friend.” Lio chewed his lip before internally smacking himself for it. 

“Well, of course we’re friends! We’re buds! But it feels… deeper than that, too. I dunno. Hey, I have a question for you: do you want to be here, or are you only here because Ignis forced you?” Galo asked in a rush, looking back into his bowl. Lio’s eyebrows raised. 

“Do you mean, would I rather be at the base working?” He asked. Galo shook his head lightly. 

“I guess I mean, like… would you rather be with Gueira and Meis?” The question took Lio off guard, and he took a moment to think about it as he chewed. 

“I don’t know,” he said honestly, “I want to help. I don’t… I can’t rest, nor should I be resting, nor do I deserve to be resting while there are thousands of misplaced Burnish in this town and all around the city limits. But… the goons do have a point. It wouldn’t do well for the people to see their ‘Leader’ this tired and beaten. Your apartment is… nice. Cozy. And I like being with you.” Lio said finally, his eyes meeting Galo’s. He couldn’t possibly say everything he meant, every thought that was swirling around in his head, but this seemed like a good start. The man across from him smiled lightly as a blush overtook his face, and Lio smiled, too. 

“I… this is weird to me. I haven’t had a stable home in… a long time. A fridge stocked with food, an apartment that isn’t going to be raided. I keep expecting anyone to come bursting through that door, and I hate the fire escape. I keep trying to activate my flames, but they won’t come to life. And there’s only silence. This will… I don’t expect to stay here long. This life isn’t mine.” Lio said, his deep voice washing over Galo as a sea of worry. He didn’t expect for Galo to understand most of what he just said; Galo wasn’t a Burnish, he couldn’t know how he felt. But he left the door open for him, which was entirely new to Lio, and almost terrifying. Galo simply nodded and averted his eyes from Lio’s, standing from the table and taking their bowls back to the stove. 

“Well… I get that. But you can stay as long as you want, you know? I’m not particularly fond of being alone after… everything. But… being at Burning Rescue kind of hurts. It reminds me of Kray. You know he’s the one who got me in there, and I love the people there, but…” Galo stopped entirely, and Lio turned in his chair to get a look at him. He had set the bowls on the counter and was gripping the stove tightly, his eyes boring holes into the pot of spaghetti. Lio got up and moved towards him, grabbing the bowls, and nudging Galo with his hip. He moved robotically to Lio’s nudge, trusting him implicitly and absent-mindedly, even with such a small thing like moving out of the way when asked to. 

“But you can’t stop thinking about it.” Lio finished for him and served the rest of the spaghetti in their bowls. He looked at Galo sharply, and bumped his bowl against his arm. Galo broke out of his trance and looked over at Lio, his eyes wild and startled. Lio nodded towards the bowl, and then jerked his head over to the table, and Galo followed his silent instructions, taking his bowl from Lio gratefully. 

“I’m wondering if I ever liked firefighting, or if I just wanted to do it for Kray. And I don’t know what they’re going to do now that the Promare are gone.” Galo finished quietly, moving his spaghetti around his bowl. Lio nodded his understanding and thought for a moment. 

“You could always help me. Help the Burnish. Help the people Kray tried to kill. Be better than his legacy.” Lio offered, taking another bite of his spaghetti. Galo looked up at him then, his eyes less foggy. 

“…Really? You think that’s a good idea?” He asked. Lio knew what he was asking; if other Burnish would appreciate his presence, after being part of a government-funded organization dedicated specifically to fighting them, although his station was dedicated to fire rescue. 

“I do. The Burnish know you were integral in helping free them. You even stayed to help them from the capsules…” Lio trailed off, his eyes locked onto Galo’s. 

“I would love to do that, Lio. I want to help the people that Kray hurt. That we hurt.” Galo responded resolutely, chewing thoughtfully. 

“We need all the hands we can get.” Lio responded simply. Galo nodded, and Lio was happy to see his shoulders sag. 

“We don’t have to stay anywhere you’re uncomfortable. It’s hard for me to be at the base, too.” Lio assured him. Galo smiled at him then, and with a strength Lio didn’t realize he possessed, quickly finished off the rest of his spaghetti, standing and setting his bowl in the sink. He turned around and settled his back against the sink, looking at Lio. 

Lio was once again thrown by the sheer affection in Galo’s eyes as the man stared at him, an easy smile on his face, his arms crossed, but relaxed. Lio didn’t know what to make of that, and it certainly wasn’t something he was going to ask about. The warmth of the apartment was stifling, and Lio couldn’t tell if it was because of the heated walls, or because of Galo himself. Lio and Galo stared at each other, and it felt like a million things passed between them, important and not-so-important all at once, the distance between them feeling much too far, as if an infinity together was stretched out before them. Lio felt absolutely lost, simply entranced, reveling in uncertain emotions and fragile feelings. 

“We’ll be okay, yeah, Lio?” Galo asked tentatively, staring at the man, the smile never wavering. Lio polished off the rest of his spaghetti. He got up and rolled his neck before crossing the short distance to put his bowl in the sink, next to Galo’s. 

Lio didn’t know how to do a lot of things in conventional society. He didn’t know how to be okay or ‘normal’, and he was winging the whole ‘living without the Promare’ thing. He was having a hard time adjusting to everything that his life is now, to everything that it would be in the future. He felt like a lamb who’d left its mother too soon, walking on newborn legs without anything to protect him. But there, in that moment, in a small kitchen with white linoleum floors and a wobbly, scratched kitchen table- he looked up into Galo’s eyes and let himself smile, he let his shoulders ease. Lio thought about the man in front of him and began to wonder if maybe he did believe in gods and fate and all the things normal people had time to think about.   
Lio lets himself relax, just the tiniest bit, and put a reassuring hand on Galo’s forearm, squeezing lightly, smiling into blue eyes.

“Yes. We’ll be okay, Galo Thymos.”

**Author's Note:**

> i might make this into a short series of the two boys workin' thru their mental illness and trauma and learning to be okay again. who knows if ill actually ever update it tho. just somethin im thinkin about :) its about the projection, luv  
> i hope you enjoyed!


End file.
